Tech gains outpace school and home network connections

Elle Cox is a good student who likes doing her homework, but some evenings it takes a 10-mile trip to the nearest McDonald’s.

In January, the fourth-grader in rural Decatur County joined a growing number of Indiana students who are carting home iPads instead of textbooks. Elle loves the device but her home Internet service is often so slow, she can’t complete her assignments. When that happens, someone in her family drives her to McDonalds for its fast and free wireless connection.

“The technology is great,” said Deborah Nobbe, Elle’s grandmother, “but not everybody is ready for it.”